Supporting Me
by TheVideoGamer
Summary: [Remake of "Be My Shadow"] Maria Robotnik is a teenage girl living a boring life on the ARK. But when this experiment that her grandfather is working on starts to relentlessly pester her, what does she do? Try to become his friend or turn him away? Only time will tell. More chapters coming soon!
1. He Speaks

I was on my way to lunch when I first saw the monster.

It was this red and black thing, out of the corner of my eye. It was a really weird, spikey, anthropomorphic shape, and it was strung up by wires and tubes like a ragdoll. Just hanging there by said suspensions in a huge glass cylinder, filled to the brim with a thick, green liquid. I remember squinting in confusion and horror to get a better look. I completely forget where I was heading and pressed my hands up against the glass. Its eyes were closed, its fur a villainous black and red pattern, and its head shaped into large, jagged-looking spikes. He looked… murderous. And evil.

Ah, and _now_ I was interested. What the hell was this monster?! Seriously, somebody should've explained this all sooner.

I was about to walk away and go to my grandfather to ask him questions about it, but no. That didn't end up happening. It opened its eyes.

They were **red**. Bloody, bloody, bright red. And our gazes locked for that one split second that was enough to motivate him to break right through that glass. There was a huge explosion of sound and I flinched, stepping away from the window that led into the room. A scientist working at a desk nearby - a woman with ebony hair and a contrastingly white lab coat - was jostled from her work as that nasty fluid seeped across the floor and he took a step forward, eyelids blinking, pupils flitting across a white plane to see this world outside of his little chamber.

The monster turned to look at me again and I yelped in panic. Whatever was happening probably wasn't supposed to be happening. I turned and ran in the opposite direction as fast as I could, feet clattering against the metal floor to get away.

It was months since I saw him next.

Oh, but he came back alright. Just out of the corner of my eye, I saw him walking down the hall as if he was just another citizen of the colony. His heavy metal shoes gave it away. I froze up in shock, wondering if he was supposed to be out. As soon as he saw me, he froze too.

"..." I didn't say anything. It wasn't like it would understand me anyway.

"...I think I remember you," he said suddenly in a voice so low, masculine, and refined that he sounded like an adult, despite being such a young creation.

Shit, it could speak.

I still couldn't force any words out. My hands shook slightly at my sides and my legs were feeling weak. What if I was right and it wasn't supposed to be out? What if it was hostile and tried to attack me?

He cocked his head to the side slightly, waiting for an answer. He opened his mouth slightly again, as if to say more, but decided against it and turned away. He broke into a jog, and all of a sudden his shoes were on _fire_. Literally on _**fire**_**. **As if he was riding on miniature jets, he hovered a few inches off the ground and took straight off down the hallway. It was such a fast movement that a gust of wind rustled my blonde hair.

That, as I later learned, was none other than the alleged 'Ultimate Life Form'.

And then came more. I saw him around on occasion, but it seemed to increase in frequency, these awkward meetings. We never said anything after that, just exchanging a few glances as he passed me by. Sometimes he'd stop walking to try and talk, but that was just too much for me. I'd always turn and walk faster. But this one time, he didn't let me do that.

"...Excuse me."

I turned. "...Yes?" Oh God. What did he want.

"Does it bother you that we pass each other so often?"

"No. Not at all. I'm very busy, so-"

"Wait," he held out a hand as if to grab my arm and stop me, but we didn't touch. "I hope this doesn't bother you, but I've figured out your daily routine, and I've been organizing my own schedule so that I can see you more often."

He what.

"What?! That's… really creepy." I looked down at the floor.

"...I'm sorry. I like you."

That got me to look back up. "You like me? You don't know who I am, though. I'm sorry, but I'd rather not associate with Professor Robotnik's projects."

"You don't have to call him that. I know he's your grandfather."

How this villainous… _thing_ managed to keep such a straight face while saying such intrusive things was a phenomenon to me. What gave him the right to speak to me and say these kind of words? It was freaking me out. "Okay, can you stop?"

He squinted his eyes. "Stop what…?"

"Stop talking like that! I can't take it. It's weird. You make it sound like you've been stalking me and doing research and that you know everything about me - like, figuring out someone's routine?! Why would you even do that, much less _tell me_ that you did it?"

He looked down. Oh God, did I hurt his feelings? "...I'm sorry. I'm created to be a certain age and maturity, but there are things that I haven't fully mastered."

"Like what, social skills?" Okay, I was ready to take that one back. That, admittedly, was rude.

"...Perhaps."

With a sigh, I rolled my eyes. "You're Project: SHADOW, right?"

He nodded, still staring down at the bland metal plates that we walked on all day. "Yes."

"...I'm Maria Robotnik. I'm not mad. But why are you talking to me right now? What is the reason that you stopped me in the hall today and told me these things?"

"I thought I already told you why."

He looked back up and I got a glimpse of those bright red irises. I found myself thinking, 'I wasn't prepared for that', but… I didn't see a reason why I would need to prepare in the first place. Though I couldn't put words to the sensation yet… they seemed to give off a special kind of allure. And I liked it.

"I already told you," he continued, "that it's because I like you. You're the first thing I saw when I woke up for the first time. I would like to get to know the first human in existence."

I laughed slightly. "I'm not the first human in existence."

"Well, if you are to me, then what difference does it make?" He took another step forward. Then another. I was tempted to step back, but held my ground. "After all, I couldn't imagine that anyone knows who the first human in existence was. It simply isn't something that can be factual. We can only give our opinions. If I say you're the first human in existence, and you say you're not, we're both equally wrong and right, yes? Therefore, you may as well have the label."

I shook my head. "I don't think that's how it works. Besides, my grandfather is older than me, so I know that he existed before me. I have evidence and you don't."

"Evidence. Evidence is bullshit," he sighed, smirking slightly. I got a glimpse of his sharp canines. They gave the illusion of miniature fangs.

I couldn't help but laugh again. "Science is nothing without evidence. Shouldn't you know, surrounded by scientists?" I didn't even realize it as my nervousness began to melt away. We were talking like friends. Hm… I'd never had any of those before. Surely he hadn't either.

I got a shrug from him in reply and decided to say something else.

"...You haven't made many friends, have you?"

"Friends?" That smirk grew a bit wider. "I thought you were creeped out by me a moment ago."

Shit. I was. I looked out the window to hide the embarrassment on my face "...You're not actually _that _bad, I suppose. What do they call you, anyway?"

"Shadow, of course."

"Ah."

"I was created to protect mankind, you know," he said smugly. "I live eternally and no being matches my strength or power. I plan to be the ultimate savior. Everyone's friend. But I'm off to a bit of a bad start if I don't even have a single one."

"And you're saying…?"

"Do you want to be friends?" I could see him in the reflection of the glass, looking up at me. He really wasn't very tall. About three feet at the most. his gloves were pure white and he wore thick, golden bracelets around his wrists. I mean… he was so small and his eyes were so big… he wasn't _too_ scary, getting a closer look now. Maybe he'd won me over with flattery? Maybe he just wasn't as intimidating as I'd let him on to be.

"Friends…?" I still couldn't bring myself to say it though. "Maybe."


	2. He Ticks Me Off

I'm not quite sure what I had in mind, to be honest.

We stood in silence for a moment after that. What now? Should I bring him somewhere? Should we 'hang out'? This was painfully awkward.

"What now?" He asked, finally shattering that god-awful silence.

I shrugged. "Want to see my room?"

He nodded. "Sure."

And so I turned and led him down the hallway, hearing his loud metal footsteps behind me. 'So much for the Ultimate Life Form being stealthy,' I thought. 'But, perhaps he's strong enough to not care about stealth...'

And this was also the creature I was letting into my room. What great life choices I make. But hey, it's not like I knew this was the start of my own downfall.

"Ah, you know, this is a much nicer space than the one I'm given to sleep in," he commented, walking past me into the room as I held the door open.

I shrugged. "It has a nice view of the earth, I suppose. Most rooms on the edge of the colony do, though."

"Yeah. Is this your bed?!" He sat down on top of the powder blue comforter.

"Mm-hm. What else would it be?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

A shrug from him as well. "Mine is about half the size of this. White sheets. Sort of."

I grimaced. "Sounds wonderful."

"Oh, it's anything but."

Another awkward silence began to set in. No, no I wouldn't let that happen again. If I'm putting in all the time to be this creature's friend, I might as well make it goddamn worth my while. "So-"

"-Why were you there?"

I shut my mouth, realizing I'd been cut off. I looked down at my blue dress and asked, "Oh… um, what do you mean?"

"I mean, when you were watching me, when I woke up. Why were you there? Was I fascinating to you?" I glanced up at him to begin my reply, and I thought for a second that there was a trace of a smirk on his face. But it was already gone before my mind could elaborate on it.

"Uh… uhm…" I shook my head. "It's not like it was anything special that I was there. Don't get the wrong idea." For some reason, I found it necessary to shoot down that hint of narcissism that I'd detected. Or at least, it seemed like narcissism. It didn't occur to me at the time that he may have just been happy that I found him as interesting as he found me. It seemed to be a success as he pursed his lips together and looked down at his hands. "I was walking to lunch, and I glanced through that window and decided to get a better look."

"And why did you run when I saw you?" He asked. I couldn't really tell if I'd hurt his feelings or if he was just curious.

"Why did I run?!" I was surprised he was even asking. "Because you were in a giant glass container, completely still with your eyes closed, and then all of a sudden you opened them and just broke out! It was terrifying! I thought you were going to cause a security breach, so I turned and ran in the other direction. Even the scientist working at the computer seemed terrified."

He began to snicker. This made me angry. Didn't he see how serious I was being?!

"What's so funny?!"

"You remember every detail of that scene, don't you?"

I hesitated before responding. "Well… yes. Does it make a difference? It was scary! Don't you remember the first time you ever saw the world?"

A scoff. "Come now, Maria. This isn't the world."

"Don't change the subject." God, this guy was getting on my nerves. "What's your point?"

He stood up and walked over to the window, crossing his arms. "I don't know. Maybe you don't thnk as neutrally of me as you let on."

I jumped to my feet and approached him from behind. "I don't know what the hell you're implying, but you're honestly getting on my last nerve-"

_Knock knock knock!_

I turned to the door. Shadow continued to sneer. "Yes?"

"Maria, is Project: SHADOW with you?"

I was relieved to get the annoying project off my hands. He seemed to really easily mess with my emotions and I couldn't stand it.

I opened the door, to find that it was my grandfather. "Yes, sorry. Here, you can have him back." I grabbed Shadow's wrist and he reluctantly let me drag him to the doorway.  
"Hey, this was fun." He flashed me a bit of a smirk.

I attempted not to roll my eyes, but failed.

-XXX-

Minutes later, it already occurred to me how bored I was. After _he_ left, I'd walked back over to the window and continued to peer out. I could just faintly see a shooting star in the distance, zipping past the gigantic earth. "...Goddammit."

_He shouldn't have this much effect on me._

_But he does._

A sigh. "Maybe I should ask him if he wants to hang out again… He's kind of cocky though. He seems serious but then…" _Then he goes and smirks at me. What's he so happy about? He only existed for the sake of technological advancement, and it's not like he had any friends either. Unless he was happy because he finally found one._

I smacked myself in the head, realizing my thought process had just done a three-sixty. And then I smacked myself again because I really wanted to stop thinking about him entirely. But maybe I was excited to have a friend as well. I had acquaintances, children whose families lived on the ARK and were growing up there just like myself, but none of them were my age and they didn't really… they didn't really live to the same rhythm, I guess.

I sat down on the floor and criss-crossed my legs. As much as this whole situation bothered me, life was pretty unfulfilling up here and this was honestly... fun. Conflict, whether or not people dare to admit it, can honestly be described as nothing else but 'fun'.

'Entertaining', if some like that better. But I'm a straightforward person.

I noticed a book on the floor that I completely forgot I'd just left there. The day before, I'd been reading up on the biomes of earth. I grabbed it and flipped to a random page.

'Jungles are moist, green biomes that teem with wildlife. For example, the monkey, the toucan, the red-eyed tree frog…'

I sighed and slammed it shut. As I secretly suspected, I hadn't registered a single word.

_Goddammit, Maria. Pull yourself together._


	3. He Challenges Me

Even I knew that as much as I didn't want to feel this way, I was excited for him to return. And there was no question as to whether or not he would, because _he was going to return_.

_Knock knock knock_, on my bedroom door.

I smiled a small, mischievous smile. Called it.  
But now I had to open the door, and that smile had to go. I looked in the mirror on my door and replaced it with a straight, blank line. An expression of apathy and disinterest, which I also secretly hoped would drive him crazy.

And so I threw open the door.

"Hello again," he smirked. "I see you've been well." Despite his tone and that cocky look, Shadow seemed a bit tired to me. His rings around his eyes gave the crimson of his irises a dulling effect. This wasn't concerning to me, though. Just fascinating.

"I couldn't say the same about you," I shrugged, pushing the door open a bit more and stepping aside for him to walk in.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes."

He scoffed, seemingly amused, but didn't elaborate or bother to explain why he suddenly looked this way. It was something to do with the experimentation on him, no doubt, but the fact that he didn't mention the cause at all was making me curious.

Then again, maybe he was doing it on purpose. Trying to get me to ask him things about himself. Trying to make me seem generally interested in him, which would ultimately boost his ego. That was it, right?

No, I'm paranoid.

So I decided to ask. "What do they do to you anyway? That makes you come out that way?"

He shrugged, that smirk widening just a bit.

Shit, maybe I was right about that ego thing.

"Well, if you must know, I'll tell you."  
He sat down on my bed and crossed his legs. I couldn't help but stifle a chuckle because it made him look oddly human, and although he talked like one, it just didn't right for him to act like one too.

I sat down next to him and he began. "First, they usually give me shots."

"Shots?"

"Shots. You know, like vaccinations. But these weren't for protection. No, they really didn't strike me as the like." He turned his head to look at me. "They're painful, and seem unnecessary. They usually make me lethargic, or sore, or give me a sickening feeling that takes hours to wear off."

I squinted at him slightly in surprise. "Oh yeah? What the hell are in them?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Different things every time. I don't know if they're trying to strengthen me or if they're just trying to see what I can handle."

"...Sorry." I looked down, fidgeting with my hands. What else was I supposed to say? "What else do they do?"

"Oh, the second half is almost always more pleasant. They usually just hook me up to a machine that goes through its routine and makes a pattern of noises that I don't understand, or talk to me and ask me questions. There's always at least three scientists writing nonsense down on their little clipboards. It's boring, but it's not awful."  
"And you have no idea what they're ever even doing?"

He nodded, but his face didn't show disappointment or sadness. He seemed to feel neutrally about it, as if this was just the way it always was and that was that. But of course, nobody could really tell that much from one's face. I thought that maybe I was making the majority of that up, but at the same time, it seemed obvious. He was kind of… readable to me, despite his smirks and his shrugs and his low, rich voice… that I already regret trying to describe to you.

I reminded myself that this was an experiment and not a person.

Not to mention he wasn't even my species. I was creeping myself out a little bit.

_Snap, snap._

"Hello? Maria?" He snapped his fingers again. "Are you alive?"

I shook my head a few times and chuckled. "Yep. Sorry. Caught up in mental stuff. AS you were saying?"

"Nah, nope. No no no no no. You're going to tell me exactly what it was that you were just thinking about."

"Wow," I said sarcastically, drawing out the word for emphasis. "Pushy, are we? I don't even remember what it was."

"Nope. Lying. Start from the beginning." He uncrossed his legs and pulled his feet up to his chest, turning his body toward me. He gave the appearance of a child getting ready for story time, and I figured he was only doing it for the sake of humor.

I shook my head. "Sorry. Not gonna tell you."

He rolled his eyes. "You literally live in a giant sphere in the sky with like a bunch of people that you hardly know. There's no room for secrets up here."

I crossed my arms. "If you really wanna know, you're going to have to work for it."

He raised an eyebrow. "Sounds entertaining. Fill me in."


End file.
